The path of discipleship involves following Jesus through life's storms, even when He seems asleep, and requires putting Him above all else. The sermon illustrates this through Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee, showing that true discipleship means trusting Him even in perilous situations and recognizing His divine authority. The core lesson is that while storms are inevitable for followers of Christ, His presence ensures ultimate safety and peace. The ultimate purpose of discipleship is to know Jesus more intimately, leading to a face-to-face encounter with Him in eternity.
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Fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark. Chapter four in the Gospel of Mark, beginning to read at verse thirty five and reading down into the opening of chapter five and verse one. Our Bibles, divided as they are into chapters and verses, were not originally written in that order, but they have been divided and helpfully so. Once in a great while, you will find it would be better to read a little further than the end of the chapter, and we'll do that today. Chapter four and verse thirty five in the Gospel according to Mark.
In the same day when even was come, Jesus said unto his disciples, for it was he who was speaking, he said unto them, let us pass over onto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder, or the stern part of the ship, asleep on a pillow.
And they awake him and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
And they came over onto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gan- Gadarenes. May God bless the reading and the hearing of this portion from his holy word. A most amazing and beautiful incident in the life of the Lord Jesus when he was here upon the earth. Our subject today, not as it is written on your bulletin board, but our subject today is to be the path of discipleship, not the path of a Christian.
For may I be very faithful to say, we may not always find Christians walking in the path of discipleship, but our message of last week, which we determined to follow this week, by way of illustration, our message of last week was on Christian discipleship, where we learned from the gospel according to Luke in chapter fourteen when the Lord Jesus turned to the many multitudes who were following him and made the statement, if any come to me and hate not his father and mother, wife and children, brother and sister, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Let him come, let him take his cross and come after me, for he cannot be my disciple. We emphasize the call of discipleship. The Lord Jesus does not call every man, woman, boy, and girl in the world to that discipleship until they have come first of all to him. He addressed his words on that occasion, if anyone has come to me, and may I go further to state that if you have come to the Lord Jesus, you and I who have done so, he calls us to follow him.
So the call of discipleship is given. But may I remind you, as we did last week, there's a cost to discipleship, being a true follower of the Lord Jesus. And one can indeed remind our own hearts. Am I truly following him? I may be a Christian, yes. I may have indeed sang the hymns that we sang this morning regarding consecration and following the Lord, but we may ask our hearts and consciences, am I willing to pay the cost to follow him?
We noted the cost of following the Lord Jesus. It was to put him above all others. It was not that we should hate father, mother, wife or children, sister or brother, or even self, but comparatively, the Lord used the word hate to signify our love for him should be greater than our love for the dearest upon the earth. And we brought out the truth, and there was a cost to pay when we put him first.
And the last one we noticed that we perhaps are willing to give up would be ourselves. Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. So we noted the responsibility of discipleship to be true followers of the Lord Jesus, whereby he could command us by saying, my disciple. This morning, from the scripture that we have read, I would like to illustrate from this scripture portion and the incident in the life of the Lord Jesus with his disciples, the path of discipleship.
Where it may lead, we sang that hymn, and may I lovingly say, with no disparagement, I'm very fearful that many of us sing lies more than we tell them. For what a responsibility to sing as we were singing. I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord. I'll be what you want me to be. And may I lovingly say, with all due respect to these godly hymns that were written by godly people, many times they are sung without feeling and without meaning.
So one can recognize to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus means to be willing to pay the cost. Now, in our scripture that we have read from Mark chapter five four, we have a gracious incident in the life of the Lord Jesus and his disciples, as they were following him. And in this gospel of Mark, and in all the gospels, may I say, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and John, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ is preeminent. On the wall behind me, you have the text, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
And when you read in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and John, the life, the pathway of the Lord Jesus, and the path of discipleship that his followers, his dear disciples, were following him. You have the Lord Jesus, the preeminent one. And my beloved, look, may I say this? The Lord Jesus is not asking you nor me to follow any man, but to follow him, to follow Christ. There was one man who wrote, and I have to commend him for being able to, it was the Apostle Paul when he wrote to some of his beloved believers in Asia.
He said, be ye followers of me, but he added, as I also am of Christ. For he was a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus, as well we may know. Now, in our incident that we have read, we see illustrated for us the path of discipleship, if you and I are willing to follow the Lord Jesus. Now, let me repeat again. It is only those who know him as their savior that he speaks, follow me, and calls to that path of discipleship.
Now, in our story, may I note with you in verse thirty five, after the Lord had been speaking many parables preceding in this chapter, that same day, when the even was come, he saith unto his disciples, Let us pass over to the other side, onto the other side. From one side of Lake Galilee to the other side of Lake Galilee. He requests them to pass over with him. My beloved, may I suggest to you, you've got a picture, an illustration there.
It's through the path on the sea of life, from this shore to eternity's shore. We're asked to follow the Lord Jesus. May I repeat it again? Please remember, when you know him as your savior, you're on your way to eternal glory. And it's while upon the sea or the path of life, the Lord Jesus is asking that you and I, who know him as our savior, will go with him as we sang all the way. And one can recognize the invitation of the Lord Jesus.
Let us pass over to the other side. My beloved, what a joy it is to realize that in company with him, and may I please emphasize, he didn't say you pass over to the other side. He did not say I will pass over to the other side, but he said let us, you and I, together, pass over to the other side. And what a joy to recognize such an invitation. Can I repeat it again?
You may have answered the invitation to come to the Lord Jesus, but have you answered the invitation to go with him in fellowship through life to the other side? He would take you in. But then notice, if you will, please, I want you to notice it very carefully. As you read in verse thirty six, there was a little bit of a, maybe much of a hindrance before they could begin. When they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was into the ship.
Note the words carefully. They are full of meaning. When they had sent the multitude away. There is no question of doubt. It was not a possibility, nor even was it a probability that the multitude would follow him all the way. And may I say to you, my beloved fellow believer, sometimes there are conditions or situations in our life, conditions in our life that have to be put away. Remember the words of Paul writing to the Hebrews in chapter twelve: Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.
Paul's writing there declares there are weights that can be hindrances, and there are sins that would be hindrances. But may I make a distinction? There can be a distinction between what is a sin and what is a weight. And well, you may recognize a weight can be a hindrance in running and in on the path. And that is represented. There may be some sin, a hindrance, a weight to be put away. Never will I forget, possibly about fifty five years ago, speaking this very same message, which I very seldom have spoken, but in using this one message on this occasion, down in Georgia, on one occasion in the countryside, and emphasizing the path of discipleship, speaking to my fellow believers if they would follow the Lord Jesus, there sometimes would be a multitude that needs to be sent away.
Following the service that day, I recall one dear old brother came to me, and he looked at me, and he was a dear Christian fellow that had found the Lord not too much time before then, but he enjoyed smoking a pipe, and he came to me with his pipe in his hand, and he said, Brother Bramo, I've got a new name for my pipe, Multitude. I knew what he meant. He knew he was a Christian. It wasn't a good testimony. It wasn't a good testimony for a true disciple. He knew he should send it away.
Well, I hope he did. I believe he did later on. But one can recognize, if we're going to go with the Lord Jesus, let us recognize there may be weights, there may even be sins to be put away. And thus you have the Lord Jesus saying, when they had sent away the mu- the multitude, look, then they took him, even as he was in the ship. Please note, it was the Lord Jesus going with them. They took him even as he was in the ship.
Now, what did that mean? Well, my beloved, there's one thing it does mean, I know from the context. He was very weary and worn physically, as the story reveals, but there was another meaning to it when they took him even as he was. May I ask you the question? Ask it of your own self. Is the Lord Jesus wanted by this world? Let me repeat it. In the world, among all the economic, the social, the pleasures, and all the commercial, all that is in the world.
Do you see the Lord Jesus being wanted by the world? Let me remind you what we said, I believe, last week. The Lord Jesus told his disciples in John fifteen, the world will hate you because it has hated me. And may I be faithful to say, this world in its character under sin and Satan does not love the Lord Jesus. And if you and I are to be his disciples, let me quote what John the Apostle wrote. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world, and the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. My beloved, if you are going to be a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, you're going to know what it means to be alongside of a person who's rejected by the world. By the world. You know, it's, it is true. One thing I do rejoice, at times I'm able to find many of the contacts, whether in the stores and different places, even around here.
Once in a while, I meet a Christian who responds to a comment about the Lord Jesus, but there are many more that would not. And my beloved, please remember, you'll have to take a rejected Christ with you on the path of discipleship. And as he said before he left, if the world hated me, it will hate you. But be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. And what a joy to know. I'd rather walk with Jesus alone in the world than walk with all the world without him.
That's the choice. Take him even as he was into the ship. And please notice the, as we read on the following words, there were with him other little ships. There were with him other little... Now let me ask you the question. Which ship would you want to be in? There was other ships, but there was one ship only that had the Lord. Are you sure you have the Lord Jesus in your boat? We sing that lovely old hymn, Jesus Savior pilot me over life, tempestuous sea.
And how gracious it is to know when he is in the ship, he's with you. The other little ships, we don't know from the story here what happened to them when the storm came, but the storm may not have been directed against them particularly, but there were other little ships without the Lord Jesus. But may God grant that every one of us can say when we go out of this meeting, thank God he is with me in my boat. One dear servant of God by the name of Samuel Rutherford, a godly man suffering for the Lord Jesus, paying much cost because of being faithful to the Savior in his day, 3 or four hundred years ago, and was in prison for much of his time, and yet he called that prison Christ's castle.
He made the statement, I know not what this bark and what this little bark of mine, how many storms it will pass through, but this I do know, I shall reach the desired haven. My beloved Lord, as we approach the coming storm that we shall see now, may I raise the question with you? Are you sure you have Christ in your boat to go through the storms of life and be assured you're going to get to the other side in glory? Let me read these words in verse thirty seven.
No, no one I fully believe to be undoubtedly an attack by Satan. There arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. May I lovingly say, and truthfully, you will not be a true disciple of the Lord Jesus without going through a storm in your life, or even many storms. The wind, so typical of Satan's opposition. One can recognize the purpose of the attack was to bring the boat to destruction, and the one who is the pilot in it, the Lord Jesus.
And the wind and the storm arose. But may I point out to you, the ship should, by all laws of nature, naturally sunk to the bottom of the sea, but it did not. For we read, the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. It was now full. It looks like a hopeless situation, does it not? May I be reminded with you, if you read the book of the Acts, if you read the epistles of Paul and of Peter and of James and of others that have written, did not those early disciples suffer storms of adversity that they passed through?
Many times they knew not whether they would live through many of those ordeals. Perils, read the account that Paul gives of his own experiences in second Corinthians, and in that epistle he's led to tell of the many privations that he suffered for the gospel's sake, because they were even the Christians were accusing him of not being an apostle of Christ. Shipwrecked three times, again and again beat with forty strikes, in prison often, in perils in the sea, in perils on the land.
Everywhere he met- went, he met opposition. When Paul was called to follow the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus told Ananias, who went to see the apostle when he was saved and speak with him. The Lord told Ananias, tell him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. My beloved, I cannot, I cannot, I must not minimize the fact the storms of adversity and opposition and suffering will be experienced. You may even think the boat is gonna sink, but not while he's on board.
But please note the action of the disciples, which is pathetic. But first of all, in verse thirty eight, the amazing fact, the only time in the whole Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, that you read of the Lord Jesus sleeping is right here. Verse thirty eight: he was in the stern of the ship, asleep on a pillow. Fast asleep. The only occasion that you read of him sleeping. Once he said those words, the foxes have their holes, the birds of the air have their nest, but the Son of Man has not where to lay his head.
And this is the only time you read that he had his head on a pillow. In all the days of his ministry, ministering for the glory of his Father, for the blessing of mankind. And there he was, fast asleep. Was there any danger? Well, let's read on. They awake him, they arouse him and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? Don't you know we're about to drown? Is that true? No. Would you note something?
They weren't worrying about him, they were worrying about themselves. We perish. When he said, let us go over to the other side, he included them. He said, we'll go right over the other side. But when they cried out, Master, care us, don't you care that we are perishing? They left him out. As they aroused him. But may I add? It's very possible, quite often true. The storms of life, the storms of discipleship, the path of discipleship may be so rough, he may seem to be sleeping.
But don't forget the hundred and twenty first Psalm. He that keepeth Israel never sleeps. Never sleeps. There in the glory above, he ever liveth to make intercession for us. My beloved, what a precious thing it is. I think of a little incident that happened back in the early days of this century, when what was called in China the Boxer Rebellion, when many Christians were murdered for their testimony for the Lord Jesus, and particularly missionaries were the object of attack.
And as one missionary family had to flee for their lives, fleeing for their lives, they never knew where they were to sleep. On one occasion, the man and his dear brother and his wife and children had to sleep on the open ground, on the hard floor, in the open spaces. And the dear little fella in the family said, Daddy, this is just like Jesus, isn't it? He had no place to lay his head. My beloved, how few of us know anything of the privations that can be endured for following the Lord Jesus.
And they awo- they awo- wait him, they arouse him, as though he didn't care. Let me think of those words with you. You've seen them, I'm sure you do, now and then. Does Jesus care? Oh yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is touched with my grief when the days are weary and the long nights dreary. I know my Savior cares. I think of the words of the Apostle Peter as he writes in First Peter chapter four: Humble yourselves, chapter four, five rather, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he might exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.
He careth for you. My beloved, may I say again, it's not a very happy, and it is not a happy experience as far as the circumstances to pass through the storms of discipleship and the opposition of Satan, the opposition of the world, and the threat that may come against the believer's testimony, but he is always ready to help. Now know what happens. The first thing we find in verse thirty nine: he arose and rebuked the wind, said unto the sea, peace, be still.
One sure thing. Immediately, he took care of the situation. He rebuked the wind and the sea before he rebuked his disciples. He took care of the problem before he spoke to them about it. But oh, the joy to realize, could that ship be sunk with the master of the ocean and the master of the sea and the master of the sky? And on board? Absolutely not. Isaiah writes in chapter forty three, when thou passest through the waters, God says, I will be with thee.
They shall not overthrow me. What a joy to know. With him, the boat never sinks. The boat of discipleship can never sink. I hope you're in that boat. For when the storm comes, he will calm the storm and say, be still, and to the peace and to the sea, peace be still. We used to sing a little hymn as a child. A little ship was on the sea, it was a pretty sight.
It sailed along so pleasantly, and all was calm and bright. And lo, a storm began to rise. The wind blew loud and strong. It blew the clouds across the sky. It blew the ship along. And all but one was sore afraid of sinking in the deep, and he was on the pillow laid, and he was fast asleep. Master, we perish, they cried. The master heard and rebuked the wind and sea, and there was a great calm. Oh well, we know it was our Lord, our Savior, and our friend, whose care for those who trust his word will never, never end.
My beloved, may I ask a question? You may not be a true disciple in the full meaning of it, but I guarantee you go through some storms. Can anyone go through life without some storms in it? I've never known anyone to do that. You can't do it. And may I lovingly say, the conditions in the world are going to be much more stormier than they are now, in a very little while, at the near coming of the Lord. You read Matthew twenty four and twenty five, particularly twenty four, and you'll find what the Lord Jesus has to say of what the conditions are going to be when he comes back on the earth.
I say lovingly and earnestly, the greatest trouble the world will have ever known is coming ahead. Can I repeat it again? It may not sink in. If it does, it may not even stay in your mind. But from the Word of God, in Revelation three ten, the Lord Jesus said of a trial that is to come upon all the world, not just upon little Israel, upon all the world. And may I say those troubles that are coming ahead, they're going to reach Florence, South Carolina, as well as all over the earth.
Don't minimize it. This Christless, godless world, opposed to God and to Christ, is facing coming judgment. And as I read my Bible, read the book of the Revelation, begin in chapter six and read all the way down through chapter nineteen, and it's nothing but blood, blood, blood, blood, judgment, judgment, judgment, judgment. And then the Lord comes down from heaven to take over the earth. Hasn't happened yet. It's coming. It's coming.
The storm's ahead. I'm glad he's in my boat. I hope he's in yours. But then please note what happened. The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Only he could do that, and only he did. But then we read in verse forty, now he rebukes the disciples. He said unto them, why are you so fearful? You of all people, my disciples afraid. Think of the Lord asking you and me, why did, why are you like that? Why are you so fearful?
Why are you afraid? Why? How oftentimes we say why to God, but here is the Lord Jesus saying why to his own disciples. Why are you so fearful? Didn't I tell you we'd go over to the other side? And he raises a question. How is it you have no faith? Please now look, they were his disciples, but here he reminds them, look, you're not even showing any faith.
How is it that you have no faith? What a rebuke. I think you will find in the Gospels different grades of faith. Here you have it, the Lord saying, how is it that you have no faith? On another occasion he said to them, how is it that you have little faith? On another occasion he said to one man, great is thy faith. I, and on another occasion, I have not seen so great faith, no, not in Israel. When he spoke of a Gentile centurion, a Roman centurion, who showed faith in him. You either have no faith, or you have little faith, or you can have much faith, if you will.
Faith, F-A-I-T-H. Spell, check the letters and use an acrostic. Forsaking all, I take him. Now I want to tell you, let me quote the words of Paul, Galatians two twenty. I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I now live, note, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. The faith of the Son of God.
And here the Lord has to rebuke his disciples. How is it you have no faith? But then note what follows. They feared exceedingly. They were completely awed at what had taken place, and said one to another, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Now, may I point out something, that the path of discipleship has a purpose, and the purpose on this occasion was this, as you got it in verse forty one. They said to one another, what manner of man is this?
Even the wind and the sea obey him. My, the greatness of his person. And may I say this? Can I quote the words of dear Paul? Who was a true disciple without doubt, but even when in prison, writing to the Philippians in chapter three and verse ten, he expresses the longing desire of the purpose of discipleship. Oh, that I might know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering.
May I say this, please? Now get this clear. The purpose of discipleship, if you follow him, is to know him better. Now please, I know he'll use you. Don't say it's to save souls merely, please, no. Don't say it's to preach. Don't say it's to teach. Don't say it's to do this or do that, whatever he may want you to do, but the purpose of discipleship is to know the Lord better. Can I quote the words of Hosea the prophet, chapter six, I think verse three? Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord?
I say very lovingly. We have too many half-hearted Christians, very few whole-hearted Christians. Then shall we know when we follow on to know the Lord. My beloved, can I ask the question? How much do you know him? Not about him, know him. What manner of person he is. Manner of person. Listen, do you ever stop to study the person of Christ?
You've got no one in human history worth touching him. But here in the Word of God and in the Gospels alone even, you can study his person and read of his work. And bigger than that, what he was before he came to the earth, what he's going to be yet. What manner of person. You've got to study and know about. And the purpose of this, please, can I say it again?
I'm going to repeat it. Humbly, I say it for the fifty and more years that I've been seeking to serve the Lord, giving my whole time to it. The purpose of it all, greatest to my heart, is this, to know him better. Name anything else you will. But the greatest purpose of discipleship, to know my Lord better, that I may know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering. Now, the conclusion of the incident is very clear.
You read it in chapter five. They came over to the other side. Let me just say something. I'm sure looking forward to get over on the other side. Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of faith, who for the joy that was set before him despised the sh- endured the cross, despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God, the majesty on high. My beloved, please let me tell you, the path of discipleship leads you to the one you're serving, to see him face to face.
I sure I hope to, I hope I see all of you in heaven, but I want to tell you something. There's somebody up there I want to see more than I want to see you. It's the Lord Jesus. And you should feel the same way. The path of discipleship. My beloved, not much time left, the way things are going in this world, and the return of the Lord will be upon us. Are we following him? Shall we sing in closing that old hymn? I think it's in the book five forty eight, is it? Where he leads me, I will follow.